Secrets
by Ceggle143
Summary: Sequel to "Believe" and "Miracle on 12th Street" though it can be a stand alone fic w/ established Gabby and Tiva. Gibbs and Abby are blackmailed while Tony and Ziva attempt to figure out how their relationship will work. Rated M for sexual content and potential violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Sequel to "Believe" – can act as a stand alone fic however.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of NCIS or its affiliates, ditto, ditto, you know the rest.  
**

Abby was watching Gibbs sand down a section of the boat as she sipped on a beer from where she sat on the work counter. "So what's this one gonna be named? Do ya' know yet?" She swung her legs wildly back and forth as if keeping rhythm to a silent song.

Gibbs shrugged lightly, "Had some ideas. Nothing concrete yet."

"What kind of ideas?" She swallowed more beer.

"Thought about naming it _The Abby._" He paused to take a swig of his own beer.

Her beer was paused in mid-air as she absorbed what he'd said. She lowered it from her mouth slowly, "Re-really? You wanna name the boat after…me?"

Gibbs stood up straight, beer in hand. Cocking his head at the boat as if trying to picture it finished, he started to nod, sipping more beer. "Think it'll work."

Abby leapt from the counter, leaving her beer behind as she ran at Gibbs, arms outstretched. "Oh, Jethro!" She threw her arms around him and jumped so that she wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him fully with excitement.

"Then you like the idea?" Gibbs smirked at her as they pulled away, Abby still held in his arms, and his beer still grasped in his hand around her back.

"I love it!" Abby lowered herself down slowly, straightening his shirt and giggling. "In fact…I can show you just how _much_ I love it…" She wagged her eyebrows at him with a suggestive smile.

Gibbs leaned his head down to her's, "Perhaps I should put my beer down in that case."

Abby took the beer from his hand and placed it on the floor next to the basement wall. "Done. Now…about that boat name." She yanked at the hem of his shirt, inching it up over his head. "Ya know what would be hot?" Abby whispered to him in a raspy voice.

"Hmm?" Gibbs had busied himself with unbuttoning the shiny, black shirt she was wearing.

"There's enough room under the boat frame for us." She licked her lips in anticipation.

"Nothin' to lay you on, Abbs," Gibbs kissed her deeply, unhooking her bra with expertise.

"Who says we need to lie down?" Her hand trailed down his chest to his belt buckle.

Gibbs considered this, stroking her breast as he leaned in to kiss her again. She let out a moan at the touch as she unbuttoned his jeans. "I have a better idea." Without warning, he picked her up, walked them both across the basement and set her back down next to her beer on the work counter. Reaching his hands under her short metal-studded skirt, he yanked her panties down and tossed them to the ground. Kissing her again, he slipped his own pants and boxer briefs off simultaneously, freeing his own erection.

Abby scooted towards the edge of the wood counter, keeping her legs spread wide for Gibbs as he shoved himself up against her. Her skirt remained around her, cushioning her ass as she sat on the wood. Pulling her lips to his, Gibbs thrust into her, feeling her moan through their kiss. "Jethro…" She muttered his name, her voice deep and lustful.

He pounded into her, placing his hands on her ass as he thrust into her. Abby cried out with pleasure, loudly calling Gibbs' name as she edged closer to an orgasm. Digging her fingers into his back, she thrust herself to him before bringing one hand around to play with her clit.

"Come, Abby," Gibbs growled into her ear, still concentrating on his rhythm.

She rubbed herself faster and squeezed her muscles to tighten herself around him as he thrust. She could feel herself rising over the edge and suddenly she shook with the force of the climax, her voice fading in and out as she screamed his name.

Gibbs suddenly increased his speed as he felt her tighten and shudder around him. He waited until her climax was almost through before he pounded harder, allowing himself to fly over the brink and spill into her. He relaxed against her, pulling himself from her as he lifted her off the counter. "If that's what I get everytime I name a boat after you I can always make some small model ships."

Abby chuckled, "That's not really necessary. All you have to do is ask." She winked at him before reaching down teasingly to pick up her panties. "Anytime, anyplace, Jethro." With that, she tossed the panties over her shoulder, still holding them as if they were a shawl and not underwear. "Speaking of…I'm gonna go take a shower now." She grinned at him before she began to scurry up the basement steps.

"Oh, really?" Gibbs grinned back and jogged up the stairs after her.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I finished a story and wrote two chapters of a sequel within one day. I am incredibly impressed with myself. Now if only my muses were as kind with my own novel...**

**Review, please!**

Abby flipped on the lightswitch of the lab as she practically glided in, still on cloud nine after having just left Gibbs' house. It was been just over a month since they had started dating. The fact that they were together was not yet public, however. They had both agreed to keep it to themselves for a while, until they were more used to having to keep it professional at the office.

She wandered around the lab in her usual morning pattern – turning each of her babies on as she greeted them happily, carrying on partial conversations as she went.

Left at her computer was a plain manila envelope with only her name scrawled on the outside.

"Oh! What did that silver fox leave for me now?" Abby giggled a little to herself. In the last month she had found random gifts in her lab – one day it was a new skull-decorated thermos to keep her Caf Pow! cold. Another day he left her a bowl of Hershey's Hugs and Kisses with a note that said, 'to get you through the day.' He never asked for a thank you, just gave her a lingering kiss on her forehead when she would casually mention that day's gift as she explained some piece of evidence that she had analyzed.

Slicing the seal open , Abby dumped out the contents excitedly. Her smile vanished when she realized what she saw in front of her. Hurriedly she swept it all off the counter and into her hands, bringing them close to her as if someone was standing next to her trying to see what she had. She studied a short note and two pictures as she blinked back tears. The pictures had been taken sometime in the last week – both revealing intimate photos of her and Gibbs in bed together. The note simply read, "We will be sending our demands soon. Think about the damage that can be done if you do not cooperate."

Abby's hand flew to her mouth to cover the gasp that waited at the back of her throat. Shoving the items back into the envelope with a hard push, Abby hit a few buttons on her phone and waited for him to pick up.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He had continued to answer his phone as casually as possible, though he knew it was her from the ID with his contacts listing.

Abby stumbled to remember what she was doing, "Je-Jeth..Jethro? Jethro?" Tears had started to slip from the corners of her eyes.

"Abbs? What's wrong? Nevermind, I'm coming." Gibbs hung up without waiting for her answer.

She had pulled on gloves by the time he came running down the stairs, having not bothered to wait for the elevator.

"Abby, what is it?" Gibbs rushed over to her, his gun drawn in preparation.

Abby was unable to respond, instead motioning to gloves before holding out the envelope. Gibbs slipped on the gloves with a worried expression before accepting the envelope from her and glancing into it, paling at what he glimpsed. Holding the photos close to him, he peered over them before reading the note.

"Where did you find this?"

Abby wiped tears from her cheeks. "My computer." Her voice was soft and fearful.

Gibbs put the photos and note back into the envelope, placing it on the counter. He swept Abby into his arms, holding her tightly against him. "It'll be okay, Abbs. I promise. We'll find these people before they can do anything to you. To us."

Abby sniffled, trying to control her tears. "I know. I trust you, Jethro." She was still in the habit of calling him Gibbs while in the lab, but her professionalism has slipped out the door as she'd opened that envelope.

Gibbs stroked her hair for a moment before he kissed her lightly on the lips, glad that no one needed her forensics skills at the moment. He stroked down her cheek, signing 'My Girl.' "Run any prints you can find, alright? We'll keep this to ourselves for now, but if you find anything that you need help with, let me know and I'll get one of the team to look into it."

Abby nodded stiffly, trying to shove aside her fear so that she could focus on catching these blackmailers. Gibbs kissed her once more on the forehead before he hustled to the elevator, determined to figure out who would have a motive for blackmail.

After he had left, Abby turned on her music to help her concentrate as she tried to find fingerprints on the note, photos or envelope. Though she eventually wanted everyone to know about her and Gibbs' relationship, a large part of her feared what would happen if it was discovered too soon. Gibbs might feel pressured with the others knowing – pressured to move faster in the relationship so that it ended up ruining it instead. Or Gibbs may get in trouble with Director Vance and be forced to choose between Abby or his job…and she wasn't sure which he would choose if it came to that. She was terrified that Gibbs would leave her if she weren't his secret – terrified that he wouldn't want anyone to know that they were involved. She knew deep down that her fears were silly and most likely would be unfounded, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that they needed to remain a secret for as long as possible, until he could get used to being in a relationship again.

She sighed as she turned over the possibilities her in mind and waited impatiently for any fingerprint results.

Tony and Ziva walked out of the elevator and into the bullpen together. McGee was already seated at his desk, sipping some coffee. "Morning, guys."

"Morning, McGee." Ziva sat behind her desk, trying not to hit Tony as he surreptitiously smacked her butt as she walked past him.

"Hey, McGeekster. What's up?" Tony tossed his coat on the back of his chair, settling in as he flipped on the computer.

"Not much. Though…" He paused to glance around. "Gibbs is acting…anxious today."

"What else is new, Probie?"

"It's just…different this time. Like someone's about to jump out and shoot or something."

Ziva and Tony traded looks, wondering if somehow Gibbs had found out about them and was angry with them. Or if he was about to fire them.

Gibbs walked up behind them before the agents could further discuss it. "We've got a body." He grunted at them shortly as he grabbed his coffee from his desk.

"Yes, boss." Tony jumped up to grab his gear, at least overjoyed that if Gibbs did know, he wasn't going to fire them… at least not yet.

The three followed Gibbs into the elevator, each silently praying that their boss would be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs ordered his agents to investigate particular aspects of their murder victim's life, but his mind kept cutting back to the note and photos that Abby had received that morning. He'd had Tim pull up the security cameras from the lab, but the usual mail clerk had flipped through his cart and placed all of her mail next to her computer, including the envelope. Since being back following the trip to their crime scene, Gibbs had already questioned the clerk who had shrugged, saying it was already in his cart when he'd started that morning. When Gibbs asked the mail workers who had loaded the cart and where the envelope had come from, they all shrugged, saying that they wouldn't have placed it on the cart without her last name on the envelope – they would have been required to call HR to confirm that there was no other Abby in the building before delivering it. Only the mail clerk hadn't known about the policy regarding only first names on mail.

It wasn't until late that evening that he saw Abby again, when she gave him insight on some evidence that had been brought in with their victim.

"The iPod and cell phone that were with our Navy doc are clean. Nothing out of the ordinary on either of them. The only prints I found on the clothes he was wearing were from himself and one of the nurses on staff at the clinic where he works. She'd been fingerprinted with a school county years ago when she volunteered at her daughter's elementary school. As far as I can tell, from the placement of the prints, she and the doctor were having an affair." Normally Abby would have wagged her eyebrows at him suggestively, but she was still too shaken up from that morning to make jokes.

Gibbs nodded and handed her a Caf-Pow! He lowered his voice and studied her face, "How are you?"

Abby shrugged. "I dunno. Okay, I guess. Spooked?" She looked down at the floor, wishing she could launch herself into Gibbs' arms without someone walking in and wondering why she was so upset. Then the whole point of keeping the note under wraps would be moot.

"You're staying with me tonight. No arguments."

Abby smiled for the first time since that morning. "Can't say that I would have any arguments about that."

Gibbs leaned toward her and kissed her lightly on the forehead, lingering longer than usual. "I'll come and get you when I'm ready to go. We'll take my car and if anyone asks, we'll say your's was having problems."

Abby nodded, "Alright. Can we go by my apartment? I need to get some things for tonight and tomorrow."

Gibbs agreed, squeezed her hand lightly to reassure her, and turned to walk from the lab.

He stopped abruptly in front of the elevator when he heard Abby yell his name in panic. She was staring with fear at her computer screen when he reentered her lab at a run. "Abs?"

"Gibbs…look…" Abby pointed to the screen where she had her email up.

He scanned over an open email that simply read, "All evidence from the murder investigation of Dr. Allen needs to placed in a sealed box and dropped off at an address that you will receive later by text message. You will have one hour to get it to us. After an hour Director Vance will receive an envelope with copies of the two photos you have already received, as well as additional photos. Include no one else from NCIS." He turned to Abby. "What other evidence needs to be analyzed?"

"The two bullets, the note we found in his pocket and we have his house keys and car keys that only have his own fingerprints."

"Any new ideas on what the note means?" Gibbs picked up the evidence bag that contained a receipt that had writing on the back. "234185751-1989-234256264. Bethesda."

"Haven't figured it out. We were looking up account numbers, but it's too long." Abby shrugged as Gibbs set it back on the table. "None of the fingerprints on the receipt are in AFIS – we've only been able to identify Dr. Allen's prints. The others are probably the cashier and at least one or two other workers where the receipt's from – a 7-11 near the clinic where he worked."

Gibbs considered, "How quickly can we get the bullets analyzed?"

"You're not actually thinking of giving these people the evidence are you?"

"I will figure something out. Can you or McGee create a receipt that looks just like that one?"

Abby nodded, "Just have to get the receipt paper and then try to forge the writing on the back. Bullets?"

"Make new ones – same caliber, same kind of gun." Gibbs paused and stepped closer to Abby, pulling her to him. "We need to get everything together quickly. Get on the bullets. I'll get McGee to do the receipt."

"What are you gonna tell them?" Abby spoke into his chest, wishing she could stay in his arms.

"That NCIS has been threatened." Gibbs kissed her on the head and eased her out of his arms.

She smiled grimly at him as he left the lab, and then turned to get started on the bullet analysis.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to gosgirl for the inspiration for this chapter!**

Abby had finished up the analysis on the bullets and had shot two new bullets to put in with the replacement evidence. She just hoped that the people who were blackmailing them weren't able to truly identify whether it came from what she supposed was their gun.

McGee had brought down the receipt replica, not bothering to ask questions. Abby figured Gibbs had made up some story. She was placing the last of the evidence replicas in a box when her phone vibrated, sending off a text alert. Grabbing it on the way to take a sip of her Caf Pow! she clicked open the text and paused as she reached for the drink. She minimized the text and dialed Gibbs' number.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs…bad news. You need to see this." Abby heard a click on the phone and knew he'd hung up. She waited for a moment before the elevator dinged and Gibbs whirled into the room.

"What is it, Abbs?"

"Look." Abby held out her phone, the text back up on the screen. _We know the evidence is being falsified. You must be able to verify the evidence or we will release the information and photos. You have two hours._

Abby wore a worried expression. She signed to Gibbs, _Bug? _

Gibbs glanced around and signed back, _Maybe. Or tapping into cameras or a mole. _

Abby nodded, _I'll get them to sweep for bugs. _

Gibbs agreed and began to walk away, but Abby called his name, "Jethro."

He turned and looked back at her.

_Maybe we should tell. Then they won't have blackmail. _

Gibbs shook his head. _I can take care of it._

Abby frowned, _Please – I don't want anyone to get hurt. _She added silently in her head, particularly the two of us.

Again Gibbs shook his head, and changed the subject, _I'll have McGee check the cameras. _He had signed 'computer man' for McGee, but Abby understood.

She nodded listlessly and turned back to the evidence as he left the room. Her mind replayed their conversation. Why was Gibbs so adamant about keeping them a secret? Now that she thought about it, every time they discussed telling the team it was a very one-sided conversation. He had never agreed or even discussed telling anyone. She always said something and he would nod briefly.

Was he ashamed of her? It would make sense. Why on earth would someone as classy and upstanding as Gibbs want to date her? He didn't seem like the type who would be into goth girls. Of course he wouldn't want people knowing they were dating. It was one thing to be friends with a goth co-worker, but to date one? Their styles and tastes were just too different – everyone would talk and would probably respect Gibbs less for dating her. She'd end up ruining his reputation. No wonder he wanted to keep their relationship a secret.

Abby blinked back tears and tried to focus. She decided she needed to get out of her lab for a while, so she headed upstairs to see about getting the lab swept for bugs.

** ~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

By the time Abby's request was completed, it was almost 6pm, and she began to contemplate what to do next when Gibbs appeared. "Hey, Abbs."

"Hi." Her voice was almost inaudible as she greeted him.

"We're giving up the evidence." Gibbs began to pack everything into the box where the replicas still remained.

"What?" Abby stared at him, her feelings of sadness for their relationship vanishing from the surprise. "Seriously?"

"No other choice." Gibbs placed the last of the evidence in the box and put a lid on it.

"And the Director's okay with this? He knows about it?"

"Yeah, he knows."

Abby continued to stare at Gibbs. This was not the Gibbs she knew. First he wanted to keep them a secret, now he was giving in to blackmailers?

"Let me know when they contact you again." He left the box on the table and walked back toward the elevator, not bothering to kiss her on the cheek or forehead.

Abby sat heavily on her stool, trying to hold back her tears. He must've decided she wasn't worth the blackmail. But he'd named the boat after her… though, maybe that was what he did. Named boats after women to get them into bed. She shook the thought from her head, ashamed that she'd even thought it. Maybe he'd just realized that she was as important as he'd thought. That if it came between her and his career, the career would win after all, and that he didn't want to chance it happening again.

Her phone vibrated and alerted her to a new text. On the phone was an address and the words, _Seven pm. _Abby sighed, standing from her stool she walked towards the elevator, the bounce in her step gone as she contemplated what would happen between her and Gibbs after everything was finished. It had been fun, she supposed. Too bad it was already over.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took so long to update. Christmas is a crazy time at my are love.  
**

Tony sighed lightly, rubbing his temples. Gibbs had been on edge all day, and it was beginning to take its toll on him. His relationship with Ziva had been up and down in the month that had passed since they had both given in to their feelings. He had been very pleased with the whole thing, really, and still was, but he could tell every once in a while that Ziva was rethinking their actions.

She had been almost silent for the last few hours, probably absorbed with trying to figure out what was wrong with Gibbs. Tony made an attempt to bring her from her quiet, "Hey, Zee."

Ziva glanced up at his tone, habitually checking for Tim or Gibbs before answering, "Yes, Tony?"

"Dinner?"

She frowned for a moment, "I am not sure. It seems as if we will be needed tonight."

Tony shrugged, "He hasn't said anything of the sort. I think it's a personal thing. Not a job thing."

"Well I think it is best if we stay on alert, just in case."

"So…is that a no to dinner?"

"It is a maybe."

Tony sighed inwardly, sure that she was trying to hold back from him, her distrust kicking in as he was sure it had been for the last month.

He had upgraded his bed to a queen size, hoping that it would encourage her to stay over more. She had at first, and he discovered that her nightmares had lessened gradually, until they disappeared entirely, forgotten once more. But the disappearance of her nightmares had also brought her own disappearance from his bed. Now that she was able to sleep alone comfortably, she made more and more excuses to sleep at her own apartment.

It was already six, and Tony was trying to figure out some way to talk her into staying over. Years before he would have considered checking in to a mental hospital if he had so desperately tried to maintain a relationship. But now, after everything…and everyone…else that had happened… it seemed almost normal.

His thoughts were interrupted as Gibbs came back through the bullpen, after having just disappeared back into Abby's lab following a phone call from her. This time he was carrying a box.

The Director appeared at that moment. "Agent DiNozzo."

"Yes, Director?" Tony stood from his chair.

"You will accompany Gibbs this evening for a drop off."  
"Like Hell he will," Gibbs bit back at Vance, the box dropping on to his desk.

"It's that or nothing." Vance shook his head at Gibbs' scowl.

"Boss?" Tony looked cautiously at the older man who continued to glare at Vance.

"Fine, Leon." Gibbs growled back at Vance. "DiNozzo!"

"Yes, Boss," Tony reached for his gear. McGee had returned to his desk and both he and Ziva were watching with curiosity as the scene unfolded in front of them.

Ziva glanced Abby out of the corner of her eye. The normally cheerful woman was standing just outside the elevator, a surprisingly blank expression across her face as she viewed Tony and Gibbs readying themselves to leave.

Gibbs picked the box back up as he headed towards the elevator, ignoring Vance's raised eyebrow in his direction. Gibbs' eyes met Abby's briefly before she turned and vanished down the stairs, bypassing the elevator entirely. He swallowed back the urge to go after her, keeping a steady face, and hit the elevator button.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Abby sat on her futon trying to ignore the thoughts that kept coming into her head. She twirled a pigtail listlessly, fighting back the urge to go home and bury herself in chocolates and wine. She'd known he wouldn't have wanted to stay with her. It had only been a matter of time. And she wasn't even a redhead…

"Abby?" Ziva appeared at the door to the office. "Are you alright?"

Abby nodded silently.

"Something has been going on. And today it is different." Ziva entered the room slowly, approaching the futon a bit at a time. "You and Gibbs. You have both been…lighthearted. But now is different. Why? What does the box have to do with it?"

Abby smiled grimly, "You're a damn good investigator, Ziva."

Ziva did not respond, nor smile. She just waited.

"The difference was the same difference between you and Tony." Abby watched Ziva's reaction to confirm her suspicions. "At least the difference that could be seen two weeks ago. Not as much now."

Ziva sat next to Abby on the futon. "Christmas?"

Abby nodded, "Christmas. You?"

"The same."

Both were silent for a moment, and then Abby spoke, "They had pictures. The box was filled with the evidence for our case with Dr. Allen. They threatened to expose us – release the photos. Gibbs gave in. I wanted to come clean for the sake of the case, but he refused. He didn't want anyone to know about us." Her voice was flat, disbelieving.

"I doubt that Gibbs would rather give over evidence than tell the world about your relationship." Ziva shook her head.

"But he did. He is right now. As we speak." Abby sighed and closed her eyes as if shutting out the ache in her heart.

Instead of responding, Ziva placed her hand loosely on Abby's shoulder and Abby recognized how sincere the rare showing of physical contact was.

Abby patted Ziva's hand thankfully before standing. "I should go." She swept towards the door, pausing only to turn back toward Ziva, "Tony is a good guy, Ziva."

"I could say the same about Gibbs."

Abby nodded, "I could still say the same about Gibbs. But Tony hasn't been married three times. Gibbs has. And that's the difference." She left abruptly, her heavy shoes sounding across the lab.

Abby was halfway home in her recently-fixed hot rod when two cars pulled up behind her, one speeding up on her left as the other sped around her, pulling ahead of her. Desperately trying not to rear-end the front car, Abby lessened the force of her foot on the pedal. But as she decreased her speed the car on her left began to close in until she had no choice but to edge towards the shoulder on her right. Both cars slowed until all three came to a screeching halt and two men in all black and holding guns leapt from each car, coming at her. As she pulled from her car Abby made one desperate reach for her phone, crying out as it slid through her fingers and on to the seat.


	6. Chapter 6

**Days off from work can be very productive. :) Reviews = happiness and motivation!  
**

Gibbs and Tony rode in silence, as Tony tried to think of a way to ask what the hell was going on. He'd figured out that they were about to deliver evidence to someone, but he wasn't entirely sure why. And he also wasn't sure why Gibbs looked like he had seen one of the Reynosas sipping martinis on his porch. Tony was fairly sure that a smack from Gibbs would send him to the hospital with a concussion, so he took every precaution to make sure such a smack did not occur.

Gibbs drove faster than usual, disregarding the traffic signs and the horns of other cars. He knew Tony was having flashbacks to Ziva's driving, but he didn't really care. He just wanted all of it over so he could rest easily. Whoever was blackmailing them most likely wasn't playing with a full deck, and he'd feel better when he would look his enemy in the face and demand those photos. The ruse had required a lot – he'd known Leon would catch on to his plan without needing to hear it. They were the only two who knew that Gibbs had switched out the evidence at the last second, placing an identical box in the trunk next to the real box. The likeliest possibility was that there was a mole high up in NCIS, and this way it was guaranteed no one would know.

He turned the car abruptly onto a small side street, taking a back road to the drop off address. Ignoring Tony's small whimper, his thoughts turned back to Abby. Gibbs had seen the look of disbelief on her face when he'd packed the evidence away. It was a look of disbelief and betrayal all at once. But she was safer not knowing. It was always safer for less people to know, even if he did trust her with his life.

Gibbs turned into the parking lot of an out of business 7-11 and shut off the engine.

Tony glanced over at his boss. "What a place to choose. Criminals these days have no class."

Gibbs ignored him, foregoing the usual remark he'd make about staying focused or about why criminals were called criminals.

A black Camaro drove up beside them and Tony remarked again, "They must be doing well as criminals, though."

Gibbs merely shot him a dirty look and Tony gulped, thinking about the potential head smack.

The two climbed from the car and Gibbs pulled the box from the trunk – leaving the box with the real evidence hidden behind a toolbox and an emergency roadside kit.

Two large men with masks covering their faces climbed from the Camaro, both obviously wearing guns holstered to their waist. The man who climbed from the driver's seat spoke first, "This the _real_ evidence?"

Gibbs nodded. "Real as can be."

The first man nodded to the second man who came forward for the box. Gibbs paused before he handed it over, "First I'll need to see everything you have that I'm going to want."

Tony shifted his eyes over to Gibbs, wondering what these men would possibly have that Gibbs would want.

The second man chuckled, "Sure…of course." He took a small envelope from his pocket and handed it over to Gibbs who shifted the box into one hand and inspected it closely before shoving it into his own pocket.

Gibbs held out the box. "All yours."

The second man accepted the box and glanced in, nodding at the other. The driver looked back at Gibbs, "Oh, and one other thing. We're going to verify this to make sure it's the real evidence."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him, "Got your own forensic scientist?"

The man laughed, "No, but I have yours."

Both Gibbs and Tony took on a defense stance, Gibbs' heart sinking at the man's words.

The man shoved a digital camera out towards them, showing a picture of Abby, bound to a chair in a dark room with a date and time stamp that showed it was taken merely 20 minutes before.

"There is no reason for her to be involved. You have the evidence."

"We might. But this way we'll be sure. I'm sure Ms. Sciuto will have a hard time lying to my…colleagues. When we are certain that we have the correct items we will let her go on her way."

The two men wordlessly placed the box in the backseat of the car and drove off, confident that Tony and Gibbs would not risk harm to Abby by attempting to hurt either one of them.

"Dammit!" Gibbs cursed, hurrying back to the car where he flipped open his phone and dialed Vance. "They have Abby! How did this happen, Leon?"

The Director's tone was one of worry and uncertainty, "Abby? Are you sure?"

"They had a current picture, with a time and everything."

"What do they want with her?"

"To test the evidence we gave them. Make sure our fakes are real."

Tony realized what his two bosses had done and then grasped the severity of the situation. Abby was likely to let slip that there was something off with the evidence – even if she did so unintentionally.

"So what's your plan now, Gibbs?" Tony could hear the Director's expectant voice through the phone.

**~*~*~NCIS*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Abby shivered, less from the temperature of the room, and more from fear. She hadn't been able to tell where she'd been taken, having been blinded once in the car, but it had taken at least fifteen minutes for them to drive there. They must have been watching her all along – knowing where she would be, and what had been happening. Well, at least they would know that Gibbs had handed over the evidence – even if it meant ruining a case and running away from her. She'd had more time to consider his motives, wondering if he'd given over the evidence because of the pictures, but even that had seemed a weak argument. The pictures had shown them in bed, yes, but nothing so risqué that it would have embarrassed Abby or Gibbs. Sure, they had shown a hint of some of her left breast, but everything that was shown on Gibbs was nothing that could be seen as pornographic.

Now, alone in what seemed to be a rundown apartment bedroom, Abby sniffled, wishing she could go back in time. They could easily have found curtains to put up in the guest room, or they could have closed the blinds that were still on the windows. Or, Abby sighed, they could have just remained friends and colleagues.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened abruptly and the same man who'd dragged her into the car entered, still wearing a mask, but recognizable by the designer jeans he wore. Pulling the rope from around the chair, he grabbed her by both arms and steered her up. "Come on, you have work to do."


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: I realized there was a typo in Chapter 3. In the numbers on the handwritten note found in the doctor's pocket, the "1999" should have been "1989." **

Abby found herself in a small makeshift lab, with more primitive versions of her own equipment. Forgetting that she was being held against her will she studied the equipment, "Wow, where did you find these? Some of these things look like they've been in storage for years. This is like… Major Mass Spec before he was promoted to Major." She ran her head lightly across the top of a small machine, brushing dust off as she went.

"Your job is to confirm that this evidence is real and has not been faked." The man who had dragged her from her ropes stood next to the door, arms crossed and menacing.

Abby nodded slowly. That shouldn't be hard…considering Gibbs' actions. "And then?"

"And then you are free to leave."

She looked back over at him nervously, and then contemplated that everyone who had come in contact with her had been wearing a mask. They did intend to let her go – otherwise they wouldn't have bothered covering up their faces. "Okay. I will need-"

"Caf-Pow!" A second man appeared from behind, holding a large cup of her favorite drink.

Abby narrowed her eyes at them in a very Gibbs-like manner, wondering how they had known. She moved to accept the drink cautiously, wondering if it might be poisoned.

The man sipped from the cup. "There – safe to drink." He handed the cup over to Abby, and she could tell from his tone that he was smiling.

She took a tentative sip of the fruity caffeinated drink and flipped open the box.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Gibbs slammed his hand onto his desk as he received the call that Abby's car had been found abandoned, her phone open on the seat poised to call him, the call not sent.

"McGee! Pull the satellite from the site – get all the information on the cars used to abduct her."

"On it, boss." McGee starting typing away at his desk, a look of concentration sweeping over his face.

Gibbs stalked off toward Vance's office, shoving into it without knocking. The Director looked up, unsurprised at Gibbs' presence.

"How the Hell did this happen, Leon?" Gibbs swung the door shut behind him.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Gibbs." Vance remained seated at his desk.

"I don't need guesses, Leon. I need answers."

"I've had the office swept. No need to worry about being heard. I don't know if they know the evidence is faked, or if they are only taking precautions."

"Let's hope it's the latter." Gibbs growled. "I'm gonna find her, Leon." He stormed from the office before Vance could respond.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Abby turned the bullet around in her gloved hands, eyeing it closely. Something was off, but she couldn't place it. The same man who had brought her the Caf-Pow! remained seated in the corner, watching her for her reactions. It dawned on her and she tried not to make any movements that would give away her thoughts. The other bullets had had a tiny mark towards the bottom, but these did not. These were the bullets she had shot to mimic the others. Gibbs had lied to her. He'd taken the evidence, but switched it out. He'd wanted everyone to think it was the real evidence. Which meant he believed there was a leak at NCIS.

"Find something?"

Abby almost jumped at the man's voice. "No, still looking. It takes time to confirm such evidence." She was unsure whether or not her voice was believable.

Judging by the cocked head of her captor, her voice may have wavered slightly.

She tried to make up for it, "It doesn't help that you're watching me. It's unsettling – makes me nervous."

His head remained cocked, as if in thought, "It cannot be helped."

Abby put the bullet back on the small table, moving on to the note that the doctor had left. It was definitely the fake that she and Tim had made – now that she knew, it was easy to recognize, only from the slightly crooked print on the front of the receipt. She glanced back over the numbers before beginning to set it down, then suddenly she jerked it back up. "The numbers! Of course! It's not _one_ set, it's three! Nine numbers, like a social security number, then a year, 1989, then another SSN!" She bounced up and down suddenly with happiness, until she realized she wasn't in her lab, and that the man was coming at her quickly.

Abby stepped backward, attempting to keep out of his reach. "I mean…it could be. It probably isn't. Doubtful, really."

The receipt fell to the ground as he grabbed her and pulled her screaming from the room.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS*~*~*~**

Gibbs stood in Abby's lab, trying to figure out how he should've done things so that she would be safe. He should've made her stay here – should've put protective detail on her. He shook the thoughts from his head, trying to concentrate on how to find Abby now.

His phone jarred him from his thoughts. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"I found the cars used to take Abby, Boss. I've located them – at an abandoned apartment building downtown."

Gibbs clicked his phone shut and made a fast dash for the elevator. He had failed Abby once that week, he wasn't about to do it again.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Abby sat once more in the chair, tied even tighter than before to the back rungs.

"I have to talk to my superiors. Find out what to do with you now." The man paused before he left the room, turning back toward Abby. "Maybe at least we can…get to know each other first." He chuckled and shut the door as he strolled easily from the room.

A tear slipped down Abby's cheek as she hung her head, muttering, "Oh, Gibbs, please, please, find me. I will forgive you for everything if you find me…" She sniffled, feeling another tear slip down to meet the other on her chin.


	8. Chapter 8

Gibbs was certain that he'd seen soccer moms flip him the bird as he sped towards the address that McGee had found. The rest of his team was following behind, having been too slow to get into the car with him. He had long ago lost his team; he'd seen in his rearview mirror Tony climb into the driver's seat instead of Ziva, which explained why.

He swerved into the next lane and around the corner, headed further downtown as he ignored a horn from an angry driver. Gibbs had just realized how much he'd pushed Abby away in the last two days – possibly even before. Since returning to work after Christmas he'd grown increasingly aware of pointed looks and whispers from other staff members, as if they'd all figured out what was going on – as if they were all laughing at Abby for dating the resident office bastard. And now she was in danger. Another woman he loved that he couldn't protect.

Gibbs parked a block away, hoping to enter the building unnoticed. Pulling his sig from his holster, Gibbs jogged to the building and crept along the back quietly. The door was carelessly unlocked, most likely given the decrepit state of the exterior. The inside looked little better as paint hung in streams from the wall, and dirt and animal droppings covered the floor. Gibbs walked the first floor, entering each room slowly, his gun extended in front of him. Having ruled out the rooms on the first floor, he climbed the cement stairs, being careful not to make too much noise with his shoes.

It was behind the first door that he heard voices. Preparing himself he slammed through the door, pointing the gun ahead of him. "NCIS! Don't move!"

Two men sat at a table, take out in front of them. They both scrambled for their weapons, and moved to shoot Gibbs. Quickly shooting both men, Gibbs moved on to a closed door further down the hall. He realized it was a makeshift lab just as he heard a scream from the next room.

Gibbs flung open the door and was taken aback by the scene in front of him.

Abby was lying on her back on the floor, a masked man straddling her as he held her arms above her head with his left hand. His right hand was pointing a gun at the front of her head. Abby's skirt had been shoved aside, and Gibbs could see her panties pulled down to her knees. The man's pants were undone, though they still hung at his waist.

Abby's tear-streaked face was turned towards Gibbs. "Jethro." Her voice held a pleading tone, as if begging him to shoot the man regardless of whether it caused him to shoot her simultaneously.

The man chuckled, "Well, we have an interesting situation here. If you shoot me I will most likely still have time to pull this trigger, or my body may pull the trigger in reaction as I'm shot." He was looking over at Gibbs as he tightened his grip on Abby. "And, as it is, you have interrupted my fun. So…this is what will happen. You will place your gun on the ground and slide it to me with your foot. I will continue to hold my gun to our dear forensic scientist's forehead to keep you from trying anything, and I will finish what I have started. After I finish I will let both of you leave unharmed and without your weapons."

Gibbs growled, "That's not really going to work for me."

Abby shifted slightly under the man, eyeing him as she willed Gibbs to look at her. "It's okay, Jethro. I'll be fine. Then we can just go home." She didn't really believe he'd let them leave, but part of her was desperate enough to try. If she could just get through it, maybe Gibbs would have a plan by then. That's all that mattered – them getting home safely.

Her captor grinned down at her momentarily before looking back up at Gibbs, "Smart woman you have here." He pushed his hips up against her, slowly rubbing upward before he pulled himself up to straddle her once more. Gibbs could see the erection straining in the man's pants as he pulled back up.

"Abbs…" Gibbs tried to reassure her with his voice. He met her eyes with his. Still holding his gun in front of him with one hand, he signed with the other, _Three. Go right. Fast. _

"Three!" Gibbs yelled as Abby forcefully slid her body to the right out from under the barrel of the gun. Simultaneously Gibbs shot the man in the temple and he fell forcefully to the ground, his legs still straddling Abby's from where the bottom half of her body remained under his. Abby shoved his body off of her, pushing back as far as she could until her back hit the wall. Frantically she pulled her panties back up and straightened her skirt, wrapping her arms around her knees as if for protection.

"Abbs…" Gibbs rushed to her, kneeling beside her and pulling her into him. He was silent, finding that he wanted to break his rule regarding apologies.

The two sat like that, tears still streaming down Abby's face, until the rest of the team burst through the door, guns drawn. Each team member slowly lowered their respective weapons, stunned at the scene in front of them. Gibbs slid his arms behind Abby's back and under her knees and lifted her as he stood. The team parted ways as Gibbs walked silently between them, cradling Abby against his chest.


	9. Chapter 9

**Please note, I'm not sure if Rule 51 was ever mentioned to the other team members or Abby, so we're improvising here. **

Gibbs set Abby in the passenger seat and quickly rushed over to the driver's side, flipping on the car and soon after the heat as he realized Abby's coat must have been left somewhere in the room. He didn't bother to go back for it – the team would get it. Abby curled up with her knees touching her chest and seatbelt, and turned as far as she could towards Gibbs.

They drove in silence as the car warmed up the shivering scientist. Suddenly realizing where they were she looked up at him, "You're going the opposite way of NCIS."

"Not going to work." Gibbs shook his head.

"But I figured out what the numbers are – they're social security numbers and a date – maybe a year born?" Abby's voice was still quiet, as if she were trying to push away what had just happened in order to focus on figuring out the puzzle. "It really freaked them out that I figured it out. It must have been right."

"McGee can do it." Without waiting for her to answer, he flipped open his phone and hit the speed dial for McGee's phone. "McGee, Abby figured out the numbers on the receipt. They're social security numbers, with possibly a date."

"On it, boss," Abby could hear McGee reply through the phone.

Gibbs clicked the phone shut without anything further.

"But, Jethro…"

"No, you need rest."

"But it's already almost 1am…If anyone could work late it would be me."

"McGee's a big boy. He'll manage."

Another protest died on Abby's lips as they pulled into Gibbs' driveway. Abby lifted herself out of the seat and waited for Gibbs to open the door, trying to refuse being carried into the house. Gibbs shook his head and picked her up without arguing.

He carried her up to the guest bedroom, where they always slept, and helped her change into a pair of his sweats and a hoodie. After he tucked her into the bed he made to go downstairs and make himself coffee and her some of the hot chocolate she'd brought over weeks ago for them to enjoy.

Abby lay quietly contemplating everything that had happened in the last day. Gibbs' actions still showed that he cared for her- enough to carry her out of the room in front of the team. But Gibbs had always been like that… always had to protect her. She shivered as her mind flashed back to Gibbs walking in to find that man… She didn't really want to think about it. He'd been so close, and then Gibbs had seen it all. Abby had stopped crying in the car, but felt herself begin to tremble and choke up again, brushing the first tears from the corners of her eyes as she buried her head into the pillow. All she wanted was to stop crying – to forget about it. To have things how they were a month and a half ago. It was all too much at once.

"Abbs." Gibbs' voice startled her from the pillow, and she found him standing next to the bed, holding two mugs. "Hot chocolate?" He held out the mug in his left hand.

She nodded and reached for it, but quickly found that she was shaking too badly to keep hold of it. Gibbs took the mug gently from her and placed his coffee on the nightstand next to him. Climbing into bed with her he held the mug forward, "Do you want help?"

Abby contemplated for a moment and agreed.

Gibbs blew on the hot chocolate, trying to make sure it wasn't too hot. He tilted the mug slowly, allowing her to sip from it without spilling. She sipped once more before she curled back up to indicate she didn't want any more.

He set the hot chocolate down and took a long draw from his coffee. The two mugs clinked lightly as he pushed his coffee back on the nightstand and stretched out next to Abby, laying his arms lightly over her.

"I'm sorry, Abbs."

Abby looked up at him in surprise. "You broke your rule."

"Rule 51 takes its place."

"Sometimes you're wrong." She wasn't sure when he had told her that rule. But somehow she remembered, and cocked her head at him. "Why?"

"Why am I wrong?"

"Why are you sorry?"

"Lotta things, Abbs. Got you in danger trying to switch out the evidence, and you could've been killed because I didn't tell you."

Abby buried her head back into the pillow. She really didn't want to have this talk right now. She was already emotionally wrung out – she couldn't handle the conversation heading towards their relationship and how Gibbs had realized that he'd rather have his job than a relationship with her. "'Sokay, Gibbs." Her voice was muffled by the pillow. "Rule 4 – keep the secret to yourself, and if you must, tell only one other person. You and Vance knew."

"I should have told you too. It involved you much more than it involved Leon."

"It's your _job_, Gibbs." Her face was still buried into the pillow as she wrapped her arms around it, pulling it closer to her.

"Since when do you call me Gibbs outside of work?"

She was silent.

"Abby."

She could tell by his voice he wanted her to look at him, but she couldn't bring herself to it.

Gibbs sighed quietly and settled back down next to her, stroking her hair lightly.

They laid together silently for several minutes, Abby fighting back the urge to talk to him, thinking that it would just add to how badly she felt.

The quiet was interrupted by Gibbs' phone. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Boss, we have the identities of the men who were at the apartment building. All of them are locals, no priors, no obvious connections. I ran the numbers on their cells that we found at the scene. One keeps coming up in particular - looks like a burner as the number can only be traced to being in service for the last two days and it's already dead."

"Alright, McGee." Gibbs looked down at Abby for a moment. "Go home. We'll do interviews first thing tomorrow to see if there are any other connections." He snapped the phone shut and stretched back out next to Abby.

"You're…letting them go home?" Abby looked confused.

"I'm not going back in and leaving you here. Only fair to let them go home too." He paused, "You wanna tell me what's wrong?"

Gibbs startled her – she'd never have thought he would willingly want to talk. Well, technically she would be doing the talking… but, still.

She took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh smell of the clean pillowcase underneath her before she poked her head to the edge of the pillow, so that her face showed just enough for her to be heard and seen. "I understand, okay? It's fine. I know how important your job is. It's not right to ask you to risk something like that for me."

"What are you talking about, Abbs?" Gibbs' voice was sharp, but confused.

"I get that you'd rather try to trick these…people…rather than tell Vance and the others that we're…" she paused at the word 'together,' and stuttered…"about – about us."

"That's why you think I did it?" Gibbs lifted her up to a sitting position.

"It was the best way to get around it. It's fine –"

Gibbs cut her off, "Abby. I didn't try to trick them with the evidence because I don't want people to know about us. I don't want those photos to ruin your career, Abbs."

Abby studied him for a moment, "Then…you're fine with everyone knowing?"

"I admit that I worry about you having to take abuse for being with me, but I have no problems with people knowing I'm with you."

"But the pictures weren't _that_ bad. You couldn't see that much of me."

"Yes, of the pictures that we had. I have the others. Some of them were worse – they showed much more of you. I'm going to burn them later."

"So…you're not ashamed of me?" Abby dropped her eyes to the bed, her voice growing smaller.

"Ashamed? Of you?" Gibbs was incredulous. "Why would I be ashamed of a gorgeous, brilliant woman?"

Abby lifted her eyes back up to meet his. "You really think of me like that?"

"Would I be dating you otherwise?" Gibbs narrowed his eyes a little. "I thought you knew that."

She shrugged, embarrassed. "It's the first time you've ever really said we were dating."

"I know I said something about our relationship moving faster if I'd started giving you massages long ago."

"The word relationship means a lot of things, Jethro. It doesn't necessarily mean 'dating.'" Abby folded her arms, suddenly defensive and stubborn.

"Well, then to clarify… when I say relationship, I mean dating."

Abby smiled a little, and nodded once, "Alright then."

He smiled at her before he glanced over at the clock on the nightstand, have hidden by their two mugs. "You need sleep."

"So do you." She fought back, trying to stifle a yawn at the mention of sleep.

"Not goin' anywhere." He shucked off his shirt and pants, leaving only his boxer briefs. "Come on." He held out his arms and beckoned for her to crawl up against him.

Abby settled into him, breathing in the smell of sawdust happily. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving me."

He closed his eyes at the sudden image of her underneath the masked man. He kissed her hair. "Anytime, Abbs. Anytime, and everytime."


	10. Chapter 10

**Would you just look at this crazy-long chapter that's filled with all kinds of Tiva angst at the end!? A night of partying did my muses some good, apparently! Make a New Year's Resolution to review after reading! :) **

Abby woke whimpering less than two hours later. Gibbs had simply stayed next to her, taking sips of his coffee every once in a while. He had expected that she would have nightmares.

"Abbs…" Gibbs shook her gently to wake her from the nightmare.

The small woman next to him gasped as she awoke, her eyes darting around the room.

"Abbs, it's just me."

She looked over to him, her eyes still wide. Letting out the deep breath that she had been holding, she launched herself into his arms.

"I was there again. It wasn't so bad at first – just a lot of waiting like before. But then…" Abby stopped suddenly, which unnerved Gibbs. She rarely interrupted herself.

"Then what?" He'd never found himself having to ask her to continue a personal conversation before.

"It was the man again. The one that…who was…"

"The one over you when I came in?"

"Yeah, him." Her voice was so quiet, he almost had to strain to hear her. "You weren't there this time. You didn't stop him." Abby curled up further in his arms, as if trying to disappear.

Gibbs held her close, angry with himself that even her subconscious would believe he wouldn't find her. "I will always protect you, Abby. No one will hurt you."

"You said that before – with Michel."

"And?"

"And he didn't hurt me."

"Okay, then."

"And you found me when the contract killer had taken me before the trial."

"Didn't have to help you then, Abbs. You took care of that all on your own." He smiled in spite of everything.

"Being around a strong, take-no-shit Marine for so long has rubbed off on me."

"Maybe too much."

She pulled back from him a little in order to look up at him. "What do ya' mean?"

"Trying to give in to his demands to protect me?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her.

Abby thought back to when she had pleaded with Gibbs to go along with the man's demands. "I figured it would give you time to come up with a plan. Because I doubted he was really going to let us go."

"I know. I figured." Gibbs shook his head at her, and then softened, stroking her hair which had long ago fallen from its usual pigtails. "You never have to suffer like that. Never put yourself through something like that. We'll figure out another way, alright?"

She wondered at his ability to sound stern but worried simultaneously. "Okay."

They both fell silent again, before Abby spoke quietly once more, "Just…try not to see me like that. Try to forget that image."

At first Gibbs wasn't sure what she meant, but suddenly it dawned on him. "It's not how I think of you, Abbs. And it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"It's just…laying there and…then you…" She broke off, fighting back a sob.

"S'okay, Abbs. As long as you weren't hurt. All that matters." Gibbs held her tightly against his chest, vowing to figure out who was behind this.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

McGee flipped through several images on the computer, bringing them up on the plasma in order to be ready for Gibbs. Gibbs had vanished upstairs to Vance's office, so he figured it would be coming next.

Ziva and Tony sat quietly on the other side of the bullpen. McGee had begun to notice that they were bickering less lately – really they were hardly communicating at all unless it was strictly business. He was trying to ignore saying anything, as he knew Gibbs was fixated on this case – especially now that Abby had been so closely involved.

Everyone always thought McGee was clueless because he still had feelings for Abby. But he knew the way Gibbs looked at her when he thought no one could see him. He had long ago guessed Gibbs' real motivation for always protecting Abby. It had taken him some time to get used to it, but he was slowly healing and was almost entirely okay with the idea of Gibbs and Abby together. McGee had to wonder now if a change in their relationship was the cause of Gibbs' recent happiness before the events of the past week. He'd never had Gibbs slap him on the back for doing a job well done, or bring him coffee. Well, except for the Apple Cider he'd brought that one time, but he'd taken it away pretty quickly. This time he didn't have an ulterior motive or restriction behind the coffee. He'd even brought creamer for the team!

He'd also noticed the slight difference in Abby. The normally focused, alert goth would suddenly be caught daydreaming, a cockeyed smile slapped across her face until one of the team would wave a hand in front of her, or tap her on the shoulder. She would startle, but instead of snapping or shooting back with a witty retort, Abby simply grinned happily, and sometimes even rewarded her visitor with a hug. Even her usual daily allowance of Caf-Pow! hadn't been able to keep her entirely focused.

And McGee had also noticed the sudden mood swing in Tony and Ziva. After Christmas it was as if the two had taken on a new meaning to the word 'bicker.' While the bickering had continued, it was laced with even more flirting and sexual tension than before, as if they were always moments away from disappearing behind a building to have a quickie. But recently, like today, the sexual tension remained, but the half-fake, half-legitimate bickering had vanished. He had to wonder what had happened to them in such a small amount of time that had caused their behavior.

"McGee!" Gibbs appeared from around the corner, coffee in hand.

"Yes, Boss. These are the three men identified from the scene. Jonathan Crouse, Benjamin Greene and Kevin Alexander. Crouse and Greene were the two found in the living room, Alexander was the one found in the room…with…with Abby." His explanation faltered as he remembered Abby curled up against Gibbs, Alexander's body lying bloodied next to them. Shaking it from his mind, he strived to continue, "Crouse worked as a mechanic, Greene was a journalist, and Alexander was a custodian. The only possible connection that we've found is that Alexander worked at the hospital where Dr. Allen had worked briefly before leaving for the private job at the clinic. The three grew up in various areas along the east coast, and all came from lower-middle class families. We didn't find anything unusual in any of their financials within the last two years."

Tony continued on as McGee stopped, "I've tracked down Crouse and Greene's families – Crouse never married – his mother lives in Alexandria, and Greene's wife lives in Chevy Chase. We're working on tracking down Alexander's sister, who is his only surviving family."

"Alright, McGee, keep working on finding this sister. DiNozzo, David, I want you two to go together and interview the mother and the wife. Find out everything you can about their pasts and see how they could have known each other."

"Gibbs, I believe we should each take one family to interview –we will finish faster." Ziva spoke for what seemed to McGee to be the first time that morning.

Normally Gibbs would have snapped back and demanded they go together, but he contemplated the idea of figuring this all out sooner, and finding out who was responsible for hurting Abbs. After a moment, he nodded, "DiNozzo go visit Crouse's mother, David go see Greene's wife."

Tony shot a look at Ziva, but she ignored it, grabbing her gear quickly in an attempt to beat him to the elevator. He jogged after her, shoving his arm in between the doors and causing them to reopen. It wasn't until after the elevator door whooshed closed that he turned and spoke to her.

"Would you like to tell me what's wrong, or do I need to beat it out of you?"

Ziva chuckled, "I would love to see you try."

Tony reached over and flicked the emergency switch, jerking slightly with the abrupt halt of the elevator. "Be serious, Zee. You'll barely look at me, let alone talk to me or come over anymore. What happened?"

Ziva scowled at him and reached over to hit the switch. Tony's hand flew over rapidly and grabbed both of her arms, pinning her to the side of the elevator. "We're not leaving this elevator until you tell me what's wrong."

She narrowed her eyes at him, not bothering to try to escape his grasp, though they both knew she easily could. "We have work to do, Tony."

"Then you should talk fast."

Ziva felt a momentary need to apologize over and over and throw herself into his arms, but she resisted, keeping her face emotionless as if facing another random enemy. "This cannot work, Tony. We made a mistake. We need to forget it ever happened."

Tony continued to hold her by the wrists, though aware that he would never really be able to control her in such a way. "Why suddenly now? Why not right after?"

"I admit that the sex was needed and was good. But I am satisfied now, and I require nothing more." Ziva held his gaze, keeping her eyes trained on his.

He suddenly dropped her wrists and stepped back. Rather than reply Tony simply flipped the elevator back into gear and stood silently next to her, thinking.

As the doors opened and the two walked to the parking lot, Tony turned to her, "I don't believe you, Zee. And I'm not going anywhere. Just…think about it, alright? What are you giving up, and for what? What's so important that you're going to throw it all away? Because if you can honestly walk away from this right now, then maybe you need to run home to Daddy."

As he turned to walk towards the car, he knew he would regret his words. But he kind of didn't care just then. It was now or never – he wasn't about to keep playing this game for the rest of his life. Tony slid into the driver's seat and sat facing ahead for a moment. He cursed aloud, at no one in particular, and then started the car, tapping the address into the GPS.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry this took so long. One of my besties just asked me to be her Matron at Honor at her DISNEY WORLD wedding next year! SO EXCITED! And I get to be MERIDA FROM BRAVE! *squee* **

**On that note... On with the story! Reviews keep me motivated!**

Tony pulled in to the driveway of a small brick rancher and killed the engine. He double checked the address before climbing from the driver's seat. The car ride had been filled with flashbacks of his time with Ziva over the last month. Giggling under his bed covers late at night, sex that one time in the emergency showers at NCIS, the snowball fight that had started it all.

Walking to the door, he attempted to shove his memories to the back of his mind. It took a couple of knocks before he was greeted by a slightly plump woman who stood several inches shorter than he.

Tony was grateful to discover that the mother had already been contacted by local police about the death of her son.

"Ma'am, do you recognize either of these men?" Tony held out driver's license photos of Greene and Alexander.

She squinted at the pictures for a moment. "Those look like Benjamin and Marshall."

"Marshall?"

"Yes, Marshall…Marshall…" She tapped her chin, "Calhoun. Johnny met them both at summer camp when they were teenagers."

Tony looked back at the photo to make sure he hadn't mistakenly picked up the wrong one. "Mrs. Crouse, this picture is of a man identified as Kevin Alexander."

"Jonathan spent every summer getting together with them after that. He always called him Marsh. Marshall hated his full name. I'd know Marshall anywhere. He and Benjamin spent many a night at this house."

"Where was this summer camp?"

Mrs. Crouse looked down at her lap and cleared her throat. "It wasn't… it was a camp for troubled teens. An alternative to rehab for Johnny. He got caught with some pills at school – prescriptions and they found evidence of marijuana in his system. The judge suggested this state-funded camp. Benjamin and Marshall were both there. I never really knew how they ended up there. Jonathan liked to keep his friends to himself."

"Do you remember the name of the camp?" Tony had out his phone, ready to text the information to McGee back at NCIS.

"It was something that the boys always mocked…the name was horribly stereotypical they thought." Mrs. Crouse thought for a moment, "Sunny… no, that's not right. Lake something or other. It was in West Virginia – just outside the Monon..something National Park."

Tony sent the information through his phone to Tim, and began to ask Mrs. Crouse about the boys themselves.

It was just over an hour when he left the house, an iced sugar cookie in hand from Mrs. Crouse. He tossed the remaining half in his mouth as he climbed back into the car, trying to focus on his conversation with the mother, rather than on his conversation with Ziva.

**~*~*~*NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Ziva knocked on the door of Greene's home with his wife. A tall brunette answered the door in sweats and a college tee shirt. "Mrs. Greene?"

"Yes?"

"I am Special Agent David with NCIS. May I ask you some questions regarding your husband?"

Mrs. Greene nodded slowly, "The officers said I would probably see someone from your agency. I can't believe that Ben was involved in anything like this…" She opened the door wider, inviting Ziva in.

The two sat across from each other in a small living room decorated garishly, in Ziva's opinion, in hues of pink and white. Perhaps his wife decorations were what let Greene to his lifestyle, Ziva thought.

"How long had you and Mr. Greene been married?"

"About a year. We'd known each other just over 2 years altogether."

"Did you know Greene's family and friends?"

"Family…no. Never liked to talk about them – his parents had died when he was a teenager. He put himself through college and started freelancing as a journalist. That's what he'd been doing since I met him." She paused, "But I have met his friends. He would often meet with them when he did assignments that took him out of town. But…I suppose now those never really were just assignments."

"Do you recognize these two men?" Ziva held out the photos of Alexander and Crouse.

"Yes, that's Jonathan and Kevin. I'd know them anywhere. They used to come over all the time. Ben fixed my Hyundai when it died a couple months ago. Were they also involved?"

Ziva nodded, "We are just trying to find out how they knew each other."

"They met as teenagers. Ben didn't really like to talk about his life back then. I only know they met one summer and would visit each other at every opportunity since."

Ziva prodded further into what Mrs. Greene knew of her husband and his friends, but found that given how long they had been together, it was relatively little.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Gibbs answered the phone call from Ziva. "Yeah."

"Nothing unusual from the wife. She did not know his friends that well, but she did know them. She knew little of his past."

"Did she recognize Alexander as Marshall?"

"Who is Marshall?"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Get back in immediately." Without waiting for a response, he clicked his phone shut and looked at McGee, "The wife knew him as Kevin Alexander. Not Marshall Calhoun like the mother."

"Which means he changed his identity sometime before Greene married the wife." McGee started tapping away at the keyboard. "I'm on it, boss."

Gibbs nodded and set off for the elevator, needing to check on Abby before he could focus on anything else.

The elevator dinged loudly, alerting Gibbs to the distinct lack of music in Abby's lab. Abby was sitting at a computer, scanning through some data.

"Abbs…" He approached her quietly, not wanting to scare her if she was zoned out and didn't hear the elevator.

"Hi, Gibbs," She spun around in the chair to face him. "I haven't found much. I've been going through some of the things we found in the houses of Crouse and A-Alexander-" he noticed she stuttered over his name, "but I haven't found anything suspicious. Crouse didn't have a computer, but A-" she cleared her throat. "He did. So far it's clean. I'm searching for hidden files now."

"Didn't come down for that, Abbs."

"Then why-"

"Check on you." Gibbs stepped closer to her and took her hand. "How are you?"

"I'm fine…" she lowered her voice, "Jethro."

He smiled for a moment, before taking on another expression of worry, "Abby. You're not saying his name."

"I'm not? Oh." Abby looked down at her lap.

"Which may not be his name after all."

"Really? What do you mean?" Her eyes shot up to meet his.

"Crouse's mother called him by Marshall Calhoun. We think he changed it."

"So he stole someone's identity?"

"Most likely."

Abby nodded, contemplating the possibilities. "The social security number!" She spun back around suddenly, stepping from the chair and sprinting over to her own computer. Bringing up the numbers she looked over both. "Did McGee get a chance to search this yet?"

"Waiting for the search to finish now."

"I bet the two numbers belong to him! His original name and his new name!"

"And Dr. Allen discovered who he really was."

"He must have done something that made Allen suspicious."

Gibbs considered, "And now we just have to find out what that was exactly." He began to turn to dash back up to the bullpen, but he hesitated, still worried about Abby. "Tonight – we'll get dinner before we head home. My house, I mean."

"The case, first. Then dinner."

Gibbs nodded shortly before disappearing into the elevator.

Abby began to type in more shortcuts and passwords before halting suddenly, realizing what he'd said. _Home. _Had he meant…? She smiled to herself and tried another password.


	12. Chapter 12

Abby stumbled across a small document that was filled with random bulleted phrases and numbers. She was in the middle of deciphering it when the elevator dinged. Gibbs glided in, a Caf-Pow! in hand.

"What have ya got for me, Abbs?"

"I found a hidden document in his files. It looks like some meeting times, some financial tracking and some background data of some sort. Maybe the backstory he used when he changed his identity?" Abby scrolled through the document. "Did McGee find anything else?"

Gibbs nodded, "Kevin Alexander was Marshall Calhoun's ancestor – died in the Civil War fighting for the North. Looks like Calhoun used his identity to disappear. Calhoun had a record for selling drugs and illegal weapons."

"They must have been planning something big that required a clean identity. These financials could easily be about drugs or weapons - they're high enough."

Gibbs handed over the Caf-Pow! waiting to see her discover the single black rose hidden behind the cup.

"Oh, Jethro," Abby let out a breath at the sight. "It's not even my birthday!"

He kissed her on the forehead, letting his lips linger. "Don't need a reason, Abbs. Let me know when you have more."

Abby twirled the rose lightly in her hand, smiling at the gesture. She glanced back at the screen, then suddenly did a double take. Tapping into some maps she confirmed her suspicions. Gibbs answered on the first ring.

"One of the dates and times is for today in an hour. The address is two blocks from… from that apartment." She swallowed the bile that threatened to come up at the thought. "He had it written in a strange format, so it threw me off. All it says next to it is 'Larry.'"

"Send the address to McGee. Good work, Abbs." He paused before shutting the phone. "Still planning on dinner tonight, Abby."

"Me too, Jethro." She smiled into the receiver and disconnected the call, focusing once more on the information in front of her.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Ziva and Tony sat silently across from each other in the bullpen as McGee brought the address location up on the plasma. "It's a warehouse, boss."

Gibbs nodded. "DiNozzo, Ziva…"

Both looked up at their superior.

"Grab your gear. We're going to take Calhoun's place at his meeting. McGee, go help Abby figure out the rest of the info she found. We need to see how far this thing goes."

Ziva and Tony were getting their things together as Gibbs walked briskly past them. The estranged couple awkwardly tried to ignore one another as they followed behind the silver-haired Marine and into the elevator.

Gibbs tried to ignore the tension as they left the building and found the car. He knew something was up between his two agents, but at the moment he was too focused on making sure this nightmare was over. Then maybe Abby could figure something out with the two of them. This was one time he wouldn't mind her poking into things to fix them.

It took them less than ten minutes to get to the garage, leaving them less than five minutes until the meeting time. The three agents decided that Tony would meet with the man, as he was closest in age and description to Calhoun of the three. Ziva and Gibbs would hang around as backup in case the man they were meeting already knew Calhoun and knew something was wrong.

Tony hung around for less than a minute when a thirty-something man appeared from behind a car and squinted at him. "Kevin?"

Tony looked over at him, "Larry?"

Larry nodded. "I have it all with me. We can take it back to your place."

Tony played along, "Good. Good. I'd like to see it first."

"Course. This way." Larry nodded to his right side.

Ziva and Gibbs snuck behind them, dodging behind various cars and pillars.

Larry opened the trunk to a small white sedan and revealed a mass assortment of weaponry, including what looked like components to make timed explosives.

"Wow. That's…that's a lot." Tony tried not to sound surprised.

"Well, it's not everything. Just…most. Like we discussed."

"Yes, of course. Just… looks like more in person, ya know?" Tony tried to play it out.

Larry narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, but then seemed to accept it. "Have you already killed that forensic chick and changed the location?"

From behind a car Gibbs tensed at hearing that the plan had been to kill Abby. He wondered how long that plan had been in place.

"Yeah, it's all taken care of." Tony nodded, trying not to choke up at the thought of Abby dead.

"Did you get all of the evidence?"

"Got it. All been verified too."

Larry laughed, "That stupid forensic bitch probably thought you were gonna let her go, didn't she?"

Tony tried to laugh, but it came out a strangled cough. He tried to cover it up, but the damage was done.

Larry studied him once more. "Your voice sounded different on the phone."

Tony shrugged, "I get that a lot. Some people say I sound like my dad, which I think is funny, because I don't think I sound at all-"

"Who are you?" Larry started to back away.

Gibbs motioned to Ziva from his position and they ran in, handcuffing a protesting, squirming Larry within seconds.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Abby and McGee sat next to each other, puzzling over the information on the screen in front of them. "These numbers here could be dates or addresses?" McGee pointed to a place on the screen.

"I thought that as well, but haven't been able to decipher them. I think I need another Caf-Pow!" Abby rubbed her head as her phone suddenly rang. "It's Gibbs." She accepted the call, "Hiya, Gibbs!"

"We have him. We're bringing him back now."

"That's good, because we're not much further here."

"See you in a few." Abby heard the line click off, knowing he wouldn't be able to say much to her surrounded by the others. She pondered whether they were going to finally tell the others after the recent admittance from Gibbs that he didn't mind them knowing. Shaking it from her head, she tried to focus, suddenly startled by McGee.

"It is an address! Look, these numbers are letters, and these letters are the multiplied version of their number correspondent…" McGee began to ramble on about some elaborate system he'd read about, "Alexander-er, Calhoun…must have seen the article and figured not many others would have cared to read about it. This is the address to the clinic where the doctor worked."

"This must outline the entire plan then? Whatever it was." Abby began to grow anxious, wanting to decode it all at once.

"Well… let's get this done." McGee spoke her thoughts, and the two settled down to begin to unravel the document.


	13. Chapter 13

Larry had been sitting in Interrogation for over an hour as Gibbs sipped at some coffee. Tony looked over at him, "Planning on letting him stew, Boss?"

"Waiting on McGee and Abby to finish decoding. They're almost done." He took another slow draw from the hot drink in his hand.

Tony nodded and looked back at the angry man in Interrogation. "How's Abby?"

Gibbs looked over at his Senior Field Agent, wondering if he knew more than he let on, or if he expected that Gibbs would know more because it was well known how close he was to Abby. "Better."

Tony nodded once more. "Boss…"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, waiting for the question that he expected was coming.

"I…well, Ziva…" Tony sighed. "Something has upset her. I don't know what."

"Been breaking rule 12, DiNozzo?"

He should've known Gibbs would have seen right through them. Tony shrugged, "Yeah. I'd do it again, Boss. She's worth it."

Gibbs nodded. He'd come to realize that maybe Abby wasn't the only one worthy of having his rules broken. "Not sure I'm the one who should be giving you woman advice."

"I thought about that. But Ziva trusts you. More than anyone else, I think."

Gibbs sipped at the coffee again, turning the thought over in his head. "Ziva doesn't trust easily. Consider that when you talk to her. If something upset her, she had good reason."

"But I didn't _do_ anything."

"Maybe it wasn't you, DiNozzo." Gibbs cocked his head at the Agent before leaving the room.

Tony leaned against the glass and began to consider Gibbs' words.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Gibbs swept his way into the lab with the usual force as if a whirlwind ready to take Abby off to Oz.

"Gibbs! We've got it!" Abby leapt up excitedly, restraining herself from jumping into his arms.

McGee broke in, beginning to explain to Gibbs the complex coding system that Calhoun had used.

"McGee." Gibbs' voice halted McGee, as Abby took over.

"A few years ago Calhoun took his ancestor's identity because of his record. The group had apparently bonded over being screw-ups as kids at that camp, and felt the need to get even with society, or something. Calhoun planned to get the job to get access to drugs at the clinic. From what it looks like they were going to plant the suspicious medicines on several prominent politicians in order to blackmail them into getting money and power. From there it looks like they were going to use that power to go after the judges and officers that had caught them and sent them to the camp and gotten them in trouble with the law. It doesn't look like Greene and Crouse had had as many run-ins with officials after leaving the rehab camp, but enough to make them annoyed at the very least. I think if anything they were just doing it to placate Calhoun."

"And Larry?"

"They needed him for the weapons it looks like. He must have been promised money or power or the like. Calhoun didn't make too many notes about Larry's motives."

"So the doctor discovered who he really was?"

"Yeah, I'm guessing he caught Calhoun stealing one day and dug further into his background. Calhoun knew once he dug deep enough he'd be found out and it would all be ruined. That's why he wanted the evidence so badly."

Gibbs nodded, studying Abby to see how she felt knowing the truth behind his motives. He glanced over at McGee and decided talking to Abby could wait. "Good work, Abbs, McGee." Spinning around on his heel, he made for Interrogation.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

Ziva was in the middle of watching Gibbs interrogate Larry, when Tony entered the room. She looked over at him briefly, then turned back to watch Gibbs, hoping he wouldn't try talking to her.

"Ziva."

Damn. "Yes, Tony?"

"We still haven't talked."

"I thought perhaps you would merely expect me to phone 'my Daddy.'" Ziva threw back at him, her eyes still peering through the double sided glass as Gibbs presented Larry with a list of the weapons they'd found in the car as well as in his apartment.

For a moment Tony looked as if he was about to apologize, but suddenly he grew angry. "Dammit, Ziva, stop it." Her eyes tore away from the other room and met his, seething and accusatory.

"Stop _what_, Tony? Stop pretending that this is going to go somewhere? We both know where we are headed. It is better to stop it now than ruin something else later."

He rushed her, shoving her into the wall at the opposite end of the small room, pushing his lips against hers. Ziva kissed back frantically, slipping her tongue through his opened lips. Tony's hands found their way under her shirt and wandered upward, cupping her breasts roughly. She moaned into him, still kissing him deeply and desperately. It wasn't until they parted and Tony made to kiss her neck that she remembered where they were, and shoved him away from her.

The couple gasped for air, staring at each other as if trying to read the others' mind as to the next move.

He could already see the words forming, the protest that was about to rise. Just as she began to shake her head, Tony swept closer to her, placing his hand over her mouth. "Don't say it. Don't even say it, Zee. You're going to insist it was a mistake and that we need to forget about it. But you can't forget about it. Neither can I. And why should we?" He gently loosed his hand and pulled it away, still staring her down. "I think we both know how you feel about me. Because I've always felt the same about you. And you know that. So what are you scared of?"

Ziva studied him – her eyes holding his, the small yellowish flecks that she'd always loved more prominent than ever. "This." She waved her hand dramatically around the room. "This is what I am scared of, Tony."

"What? NCIS? Interrogation?"

"It is never easy working with someone you-" She cut herself off and started over. "Gibbs made rule 12 for a reason."

"Yeah, well Gibbs was wrong." It shocked him even as he said it. It was so rare for him to openly disagree with his boss – the mentor he looked up to, despite the constant head-slaps and complaining. "Eventually we're going to have to make our own rules, Zee. And that's not going to be one of mine." He paused, gauging her feelings, "So what about you? Is your fear going to dictate your rules?"

Ziva's head was filled with a sudden multitude of thoughts and potential issues and glorious memories of laughing at seemingly nothing with Tony. She'd known for an impossible amount of time how much she'd loved Tony. It wasn't until Somalia that she'd realized it, but by then it was too late to start something. She was already far too damaged for any man, let alone Tony. And then there was a random phone call earlier that month, just after New Years… somehow her father had known. He'd reminded her of the many Mossad agents who had lost their lives trying to protect a loved one. How long would it be until that happened with them? How long would he mourn her, or her him? How broken would they be?

"Tony…" Ziva was interrupted as Gibbs' chair suddenly scraped across the floor in the next room before he left Larry alone. "Perhaps it is not best that we discuss this here."

He looked annoyed for a moment but relinquished, "Alright. Tonight. Come over to my apartment at seven. I'll make dinner and we can talk." It wasn't a suggestion – Tony's voice demanded it. Ziva had to stop herself from smiling- she'd always found it sexy when Tony ordered her around, even if he did often call her Probie.

"Seven." She nodded shortly and slid around Tony, leaving him silently praying to a deity he wasn't sure existed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Longest chapter I've written for a fanfic? Uh, yes. Warning: lots of smut at the end of the chapter! Definite M rating for this one...**

Gibbs swooped into Abby's lab and snuck up behind her, gently pulling her back against his chest and encircling her with his arms. "Hey, Larry confessed to everything. And we found out how Calhoun knew the evidence was being falsified. Larry's aunt is Vance's secretary. She's being taken into custody now. Had been listening to Vance's conversations by rigging up the phone system. Larry's revenge was for his father, the aunt's brother, however, not for himself. Vance's secretary managed to forge paperwork saying that old forensic equipment was being moved. That's how they had that makeshift lab. Have you found any other evidence that is contrary to that?"

Abby shook her head, "No, the coded document didn't show anyone else involved other than Larry. And the rest of the computer came up clean."

Gibbs nibbled on her ear and she closed her eyes, sighing deeply in relief. "It's over, Jethro." She whispered quietly, afraid someone would come in and overhear her.

"It'll never really be over, Abbs."

"That's just our line of work. Good thing we're both used to it."

Gibbs hesitated and she turned suddenly, sensing his hesitation.

"Don't even say that you want to end this because you're afraid I'll get hurt. Because this had nothing to do with you – it was all about my job."

His expression softened and he smirked a bit, "Touché, Abby. Just makes me nervous."

"Well I'm not giving up my job and I know you aren't. And whether I'm with you or not won't change the fact that I'm a forensic scientist. It's better if you're around to protect me, ya know." Her voice went from insist and demanding to seductive as she closed the gap between them, touching her lips to his mind numbingly lightly.

He chuckled, returning the kiss. "Stay with me tonight?"

"Of course. Anytime."

Gibbs gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and turned to head back upstairs.

**~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~**

At almost exactly seven that evening, Tony heard a timid knock on his door. He had prepared long before – the chicken breasts he'd prepared covered with cheese and herbs had just come out of the oven and the asparagus and baked sweet potatoes were ready for him to place on a plate at any moment. He'd been planning on surprising her with dinner that weekend, but decided it was best not to wait any longer.

"Hey, Ziva." He swung the door open and greeted the gorgeous woman who stood anxiously in the hall.

She didn't respond, but instead nodded in greeting and glided through the door. It had been at least a week since she had been to Tony's apartment, been in Tony's bed, but the usual smell of Tony's cologne mixed with the delicious smells coming from the kitchen filled her with familiar feelings of happiness.

"Dinner's ready. I'll go and get it. The table's all set." Tony motioned to his small kitchen table which had a small line of candles of various shapes and sizes. Each had recently been lit, as the wax had not yet begun to spill over the top and down the sides. The only other things on the table were silverware and two wine glasses.

Ziva took off her coat, setting it on the coat rack by the door and found her way to the table, sitting on the edge of the chair uncomfortably, afraid of where the night might lead them.

Tony reappeared shortly, a plate in each hand. From under his side of the table he pulled up a bottle of wine and popped it open, having already removed the cork after lighting the candles. He poured a liberal amount for both himself and Ziva before setting the bottle on the table in between them.

"This…looks amazing, Tony." Ziva spoke for the first time since arriving, trying to smile through her nervousness. She pulled a napkin out from under the silverware and folded it on to her lap.

He bit back the joke he would normally have made about actually being able to cook, and simply thanked her. The two began to eat in awkward silence, chewing slowly to avoid talking. Tony swallowed a bite of the chicken, chasing it with a large gulp of the wine.

"I want to know what you're thinking, Zee. I want to know what's wrong?" Tony set his fork down and looked at her patiently.

Ziva mimicked him, placing her fork on the plate and her hands in her lap. "Partners should not be involved."

"Bullshit. What's really going on?"

She was slightly taken aback at his forceful disagreement, but didn't make any motion that would suggest so. "I am sorry that you do not believe me, Tony."

"You talked to your father recently, Ziva."

"How do you know that?"

"I made McGee run your cell record."

Ziva narrowed her eyes at him. "You have been spying on me, Tony?"

"What did he say to you, Zee?"

"It is none of your business." She threw her napkin on the table and stood up, making for her coat.

Tony beat her to it, however, grabbing her by both arms. "Like hell it isn't. What did he say, Ziva?"

She maneuvered easily from his grasp only for him to wrestle around her again, holding her once more in place.

"You're not leaving. Not until you tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"Let me go, Tony. I do not want to hurt you."

"Newsflash, Zee. You already are."

Ziva twisted around quickly, but Tony had anticipated it and held tightly to her. "Let me go."

"No."

"I said, let me go!" Ziva's voice rose higher as she spoke louder and more forcefully.

"No!"

"Let me-"

"I love you, Ziva!" Tony cut her off, yelling to be heard over her.

Ziva went slack in his grasp, turning slightly pale. "You…you what?"

"I _love you_." Tony let his arms drop, "I think I always have."

Ziva peered into his eyes, searching as if her response was scrawled across them. As if he would tell her what to say.

"I…I…"

Tony stepped back. "And obviously you don't feel the same." He nodded slowly, as if trying to make himself understand.

"No, Tony…" She reacted abruptly, reaching out to him to stop him from walking away. "My father… he…warned me. He does not want me to get hurt."

"I'm not planning on hurting you." Tony raised an eyebrow, scowling at the idea that she wouldn't trust him.

"I never thought you would. Not on purpose." She stepped closer to him, "So many people have died, Tony. So many that I knew. Tali and Ari. My mother. Other agents who had husbands, wives. There is no guarantee. Ours is not a safe career."

"What's the point of catching the bad guys if we don't enjoy a safer world?" He closed the gap between them.

"It is not so simple."

"Why can't it be?" Tony cupped her chin. "I love you. Doesn't that make it simple?"

"It makes it complicated."

"Only if you think about it too much." Tony lowered his face to Ziva's, catching her lips lightly. She hesitated momentarily, but then deepened his kiss.

Tony placed his hands on the back of her legs, just underneath her butt. He lifted her up and against him, sliding his arms to her back as she wrapped her legs around him. Carrying her past the cooling dinner he'd prepared, he walked them both into his bedroom and laid her gently on his bed.

Ziva grabbed at the hem of her shirt and began to yank it upward, until Tony stopped her. "Let me." He climbed onto the bed and slid his hands under her shirt, lightly gliding his palms against her smooth skin. His hands drifted back down to the hem where he gently lifted the shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor with a light whoosh. Tony smiled at her lovingly, as if seeing her shirtless for the first time. "Have I ever told you how amazingly gorgeous you are?"

She returned the smile briefly as Tony hovered over her, kissing the tops of her breasts that spilled out of her bra. The smile turned quickly to a light moan as Tony kissed his way down her stomach, his kiss becoming feathery light on her hip bone, causing Ziva to shiver from the sensation. Tony scooted further down the bed as he began to unbuckle her belt and slide the zipper on her jeans down at a torturous pace. Tony pulled her jeans down seductively, taking in her curves as if memorizing each part of her. The jeans eventually joined her shirt on the floor and Tony sighed in amazement at the woman lying underneath him in shockingly hot pink bra and underwear duo.

"Pink, huh?" Tony smirked.

"It was a gift…from Abby. She said one of us needed to wear pink, and it was not going to be her."

Tony snorted with laughter, "Oh, Abby." He grew serious, "She has good taste. The color goes well with your skin tone." Growing silent once more, Tony lowered himself to her, covering her body with his own. He kissed her deeply again, savoring the slight taste of the wine that she'd sipped just minutes before. They reached a natural stopping point and pulled away, Ziva now reaching to unbutton Tony's striped shirt. He lifted himself up slightly above her to allow her an easier time of getting each button undone. She propped herself up to slide the shirt off his shoulders and down his arms as he sat back on his toes, straddling her legs. The small pile of clothing on the floor beside the bed grew taller as Ziva flicked her wrist to toss the shirt away. She brought her hands back to Tony's chest, allowing her fingers to dance lightly down his abdomen to stroke his own hip bone, smiling mischievously at the low moan he let out. Slipping off his hip, her hands found the buckle on his belt, and made an even slower show of undoing it than he had of hers.

"Ziva, I wanted this to be loving and memorable, but not evil." Tony moaned at her turtle-like speed.

She let out a deep, resounding giggle and pulled his pants over his hips and downward, letting him remove them once the waist of the pants hit his shins. His boxer briefs clung to him as his erection strained forward, making his desire well known. Ziva wrapped her leg over his and eased him over so that she lied on top of him. She took her turn kissing downward from his neck to hips until she slid her thumbs underneath the waistline on his boxers and pulled them just low enough that his erection sprung free over the elastic. Haltingly going from bottom to top, Ziva traced her tongue along his shaft, smiling to herself as he moaned in response. Her tongue flicked over the tip of his head, tracing the small indentation that circled around. She felt him shudder underneath her as she drew him into her mouth, sucking downward before sliding back up to repeat the sucking motion again.

"Oh, God, Ziva." Tony arched his back, grabbing the headboard with both hands.

She withdrew her mouth and lowered herself further, taking his balls into her mouth, licking and nibbling lightly as he thrust rhythmically against her. Now familiar with his sexual habits, Ziva knew he was getting close, so she retreated, pulling herself back up level with his face.

Tony caught his breath for a moment before flipping Ziva on her back. "Two can play that game…" He unhooked her bra with a quick snap of his left hand and lifted it off her arms to free her breasts for his play. Kneading her breasts for a moment, he paused to slip her panties down past her feet and off the edge of the bed. With one hand still stroking a nipple, he shuffled downward on the bed, holding her open with his other hand as he flicked his tongue against her clit. She cried out from the pleasure, writhing lightly as he flat his tongue fully against her for a brief second before flicking it over her once more. Ziva's cries grew more desperate as he thrust his tongue just inside of her and then pulled back out, massaging her clit with the tip of his tongue and humming lightly to create a vibrating sensation that nearly sent her over the edge. Tony withdrew his tongue in one fluid movement, bringing himself back up to settle gently on top of Ziva.

"Jerk." Ziva muttered.

"Turnabout is fair play, Zee." He smirked at her, the smirk making its way into a satisfied smile as he reached up and stroked her forehead, just underneath her hairline. "Do you know what you do to me, Ziva?" He spoke quietly, as if thinking aloud rather than asking her a question.

Ziva reached between them and grasped his cock, guiding him to her. "Show me."

Tony brought himself to her, simultaneously kissing her as he entered her, sighing inwardly with pleasure at the feel of his manhood encased inside her. Rather than begin to thrust, he stayed still for a minute, enjoying the feel of languidly kissing and stroking her while wrapped up inside her. Gradually he moved his hips back and forth to thrust smoothly in and out, causing both of them to mutter the other's name.

Each ran their hands over the other, trying to feel as much as they could while they were joined. Ziva's fingers trailed up Tony's chest and around his shoulders, her nails clawing into his back as his hands grazed over her breasts. As Tony thrust faster his hand slid down to her clit where he massaged her gingerly, keeping in time with his rhythm. Ziva pushed her hips forward in time with his, grinding her hips slightly to create more friction under his fingers.

"Tony…" Ziva's voice was louder, drawing out his name with her pleasure.

Tony leaned down close to her, his mouth near her ear, "I want to see you come, Ziva. I want to be the reason you orgasm."

Ziva's breath was labored as she thrust her hips against his more forcefully than before. Tony's pushed his fingers heavier against her clit, pumping it rhythmically to build her orgasm more tightly. She moaned shrilly with each pump, growing louder as she neared her climax. Knowing how close she was Tony dipped his head down and kissed her, his tongue sweeping across hers. Underneath him, Ziva writhed and shuddered, almost screaming as they kissed from the force of her release. He thrust faster and harder as she tightened around him, letting himself go to follow her orgasm with his own.

The two pulled apart cautiously, both still twitching ever so slightly from the after effects of the waves of pleasure that had rolled through them. As they began to breathe normally, Ziva settled her head on Tony's chest.

Whispering so that Tony only just heard her, Ziva cuddled against him, "I love you too, Tony."


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I had some massive writer's block along with being ridiculously busy as of late. This is the end of this story, so thanks for all the reviews and support. :) Just a lil bit of Gabby fluff to send you on your way...**

Abby pulled into Gibbs' driveway, her overnight bag freshly packed, though with fewer night clothes than she would have brought with her just three or four months ago. Who needed sleeping clothes now that Gibbs was likely to pull them off of her? She chuckled at the thought, grabbing her bag and slamming the car door shut.

The house was quiet – as usual- but Abby noticed there were less lights on than were normal. Even if Gibbs were in the basement he would've left the living room light on – especially since he knew she was headed over. Her eyebrows furrowed in wonder as she reached for the handle and found the door locked. That was…rare. She rang the doorbell twice before realizing it didn't work, probably from lack of use, and then knocked several times, hoping he would hear her from the basement.

The door swung open to reveal a very dressed-up, smirking Jethro Gibbs.

"Jethro?" Abby's eyebrows flew upwards in surprise. "What…what's with the get-up?"

He gently removed the bag from her hand, leaning his other arm out for her to take. Abby giggled and accepted his arm, pulling the door shut behind them as she entered the house.

Her giggle was stifled as she gaped in awe of the living room, which had sporadic candles lit throughout, sitting on the mantle, the end tables and the coffee table. "Oh, Jethro. This is… this is gorgeous."

Gibbs gave her one of the quick, genuine smiles that had been so rare since Kate's murder, and for a moment she felt taken back eight or nine years. He led her to where he had pulled his kitchen table further out to make a dining area and had covered that with a few randomly sized and colored candles as well. Either side of the table was set with a full place setting, minus the plates. Gibbs pulled back one of the chairs, and motioned for Abby to sit, "Madam."

Abby's smile was brighter than ever as her giddiness overwhelmed her. She'd never seen such a romantic side of him before, and it made her feel ready to burst with happiness.

"Be right back," Gibbs nodded at her, set her bag to the side of the couch, and vanished into the kitchen. He returned shortly with a plate in each hand and a bottle of wine under his arm. Setting a plate in front of her, he circled around and set the other at his place, followed by the wine towards the center. Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out a corkscrew, deftly opening the wine.

Abby took in the meal in front of her, wondering if Gibbs had cooked it. On the plate was a piece of salmon topped with lemon slices and what appeared to be tiny slivers of ginger, a large scoop of mashed potatoes, and a generous helping of a mix of broccoli, carrots and yellow squash. Gibbs tilted the wine bottle and poured her a half of a glass of the white wine. She glanced at the label as he set it down, realizing that it was a Chardonnay that was at least $25 at the local grocery. She smiled up at him, "Did you make all this?"

He shrugged, "McGee did some recipe searches for me this afternoon. Not hard when you follow the instructions written for ya."

"I didn't know you could cook."

"Don't really find the motivation much."

"So what's your motivation tonight?" Abby cocked her head a bit, raising her wine glass to her lips and sipping slowly, savoring the slightly sweet taste.

Gibbs just smirked back at her, cutting the fish with his fork and spearing it into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully, "Not bad. I'll have to save that one."

Abby joined him, making happy moans to signify how much she enjoyed the fish. "Oh, that's so good! I think I'll have to get McGee to find more recipes for you." She grinned at him, wagging her eyebrows before tasting the mashed potatoes. "Oh, is that garlic?" Abby went for another forkful.

"And white cheddar." Gibbs nodded, helping himself to a forkful as well.

"Oh my goodness, Jethro." Abby's mouth was full as she said it, and she covered her mouth with a laugh at his bemused expression.

"Glad you like it."

She swallowed the mouthful. "I love it! You astound me, you know that? Everytime I turn around I discover something else that I love that I didn't know about you! I guess it's the reason I love you so much, Jethro." Abby made to spear some vegetables onto the fork prongs, but froze suddenly, realizing what she'd just said. "I mean, love you as like a person and a friend. But not..not like… that's just too soon, ya know? I mean, I love different _things_ about you, like your personality and your habits, but I don't _love you_. Well, I _do_ love you, but not-"

"Abbs." Gibbs' voice halted her rambling. His calm gaze washed over her, "I love you too."

Abby let out the breath she'd been holding in, relief and elation filling her. "Really?" She shook her head, "Well, of course really, why else would you say it?"

Gibbs merely watched her ramble, enthralled with how gorgeous she looked with the candlelight flickering off her features.

She paused when she noticed he was staring at her. "What?" Abby lifted a hand to her face, "Do I have something on my face?"

"No. Just admiring."

Abby's cheeks blushed pink. Gazing down at her meal, she cut off a small bite of salmon. She chewed quietly for a moment and then peered shyly back up at Gibbs, who had started eating again, but continued to watch her, a very un-Gibbs like smile on his face.

"I've waited a long time to hear you say that. There was a point a long time ago, and even not so long ago, that I thought it would never happen."

"Honestly? Didn't think it would ever happen myself, Abby."

Abby's foot pressed suddenly up against his leg, which she skimmed lightly with her toes. Gibbs shoved another forkful of vegetables in his mouth, downing some gulps of wine behind it.

"Abbs… we haven't finished dinner yet."

She shrugged innocently, "It's not goin' anywhere."

Gibbs' mouth turned up in a mischievous half-smile. "And that is just one of the reasons I love you, Abbs."

She laughed throatily and disappeared under the table, "Jethrooo, come and find me!"

Laughing more freely than he had in years he shoved his chair back and lowered himself to his knees, ready to tackle the woman he loved.

**Fin**


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